Battleangel | Personal

This is something that I was meaning to do last year but never got around to. It’s not a novel idea, and I have seen many version of it online, but the problem is that I’ve been unable to find any of the materials for the actual arms anywhere.

The model for the macro clamp is of course the Wimberley Plamp and the FM Photography McClamp. They both utilize flexible arms made out of a product called Loc Line (or a cheaper knockoff perhaps). Turns out Loc Line is one of the most useful products I’ve never heard of. It can be found in applications ranging from industrial coolant distribution to complicated aquarium setups and inside some stuffed animals. And the DIY applications seem endless [1|2|3|4|5|6|7].

Everything about it is great – except for the fact that I can’t seem to find it. There is only one company in the whole country that I’ve found selling Loc Line (original) and they charge maybe 2-3 times the US price. And imports are out of the question this time, even if RDG Tools could work. Instead I’m currently looking into knockoffs available locally. Luna apparently has them and I hope my local hardware store is able to get it for me. If the price is right of course.

This could solve so many problems with macro photo like stabilizing moving object or getting the right background at the right distance. Or holding up small reflectors.

And btw. Here is an alternative design using something called Kwiktwist (a product I’ve had even less luck locating).

Addendum: This DIY is dead in the water already. Prices in Sweden were crazy across the board. And buying from RDG wouldn’t work since they didn’t have all the parts and sizes. As for importing from the US, shipping alone would be $34. Kind of what I wanted to spend on this entire project. That would mean that two three feet 3/4 inch arms with the correct parts would come to a total of about $100 including shipping. $90 maybe if I moved to 1/2 inch. Unacceptable for something you’d use a handful of times per year.